Washington: The United States has reiterated its position that every individual should have the freedom to express themselves, but they should do so without participating in violence.
In a regular press briefing, a US Department of State spokesperson, Vedant Patel, was asked to comment on the current situation in Pakistan since the arrest of Imran Khan last week and how Washington assessed it.
“Our belief is that individuals should have the freedom to express themselves but do so without participating in any violence, violence that would put government employees in government buildings in harm’s way,” the spokesperson said.
On the matter of Imran Khan’s arrest, he went on to say that the US does not have a position on one political party or one candidate or another.
“Our view is [that] a strong, stable, and prosperous Pakistan is crucial to US-Pakistan relations,” he maintained.
The spokesperson was equally careful when asked to comment on Imran Khan’s statement that journalists in Pakistan were not allowed to tell the other side of the story.
“I am just not going to be prospective about the current situation. I don’t have an assessment to offer from here,” he said.
